Prey
by TJAlGhul
Summary: Sydney saw something in the Lone Wolf that led her into his dangerous den and once inside, there was no escaping. Once happily engaged bliss has turned into feigned smiles and fear behind closed doors. A short story
1. Chapter 1

Sydney stared blankly at her reflection in the three way mirror. The Roberto Cavalli lace evening gown fit her slim body like a glove was truly an amazing piece. It's a shame that she didn't feel as beautiful as she looked.

"Thank you." She told the saleswoman kindly, stepping down from the small pedestal.

"I'll have it wrapped nicely for your flight."

Syd nodded, going back into the dressing room and delicately removing the gown. She rooted through her purse for her phone to make sure she didn't have any missed calls or text. Making sure that the ringer was up as high as it could go, she slipped back into her Hollister jeans and t-shirt, sliding her feet into her Timberland boots.

She paid for her dress and accepted the massive box that it had been put in, making her way back home to pack the rest of her things for the weekend.

In the middle of her trying to figure out how the hell she was going to pack the giant box, her phone rang on the dresser. She sprinted over the bed, almost breaking her neck and snagged the phone from the charger. Glancing at the picture of her wrapped in strong arms, she picked up the phone

"Hi baby."

"What took you so long to answer the phone?" He growled in answering

"It was on the other side of the room, I had to get to it." she told him

"What time does your flight get in?"

"Around five." she said, folding a pair of jeans and placing them in the open suitcase on the bed

"That's cutting it close. You couldn't have booked an earlier flight?"

"It was the earliest one they had left baby, that was my only option."

"This is why I told you to book this flight months ago, you never fucking listen to anything I tell you."

She winced at the anger in his voice "Well I'm sorry if I've been a little bit distracted lately." she fired back, clamping a hand over her mouth a moment too late

"You're going to hold this over my fucking head forever aren't you? As if I haven't suffered enough, right?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm-"

"Forget it. You better pray your flight doesn't get delayed. Better yet, don't even bother coming. Keep your ass at home. I don't want you here."

"Baron-"

The line went dead on the other end and she threw her phone down on the bed, trying to keep her tears at bay. He didn't mean it. Of course he wanted her to be there for him. It was Wrestlemania week and Saturday night was the Hall of Fame ceremony. She wanted to be there to support her man. It would be her first outing with him as an engaged couple and he wanted to show her off.

And she had opened her mouth and poked at a sore wound. Now he was pissed at her. She thanked God that he was a thousand miles away and not here in their home. The backlash of his anger would have been a million times worse than him hanging the phone up on her.

She rubbed her neck, remembering how just a few fort weeks ago, it had been discolored with deep purple bruises that trailed along her back.

They had faded a great deal, almost invisible to the eye against her toffee colored skin.

Her brown eyes welled with tears as she slid the top drawer of the nightstand open, reaching in, her hands trembling as she pulled out the small black and white photograph. A single tear dropped onto the blurry picture and she dabbed at it, careful not to ruin the sweet image of innocence that never had a chance to live

 _"Just tell me the truth!"_

 _"Leave it alone Sydney!" Baron yelled, turning his back on her to climb the stairs in retreat_

 _She was having none of it. She was tired. Tired of him disrespecting her, lying to her, and trying to flip it on her when she confronted him. "I know you were with her last night, just admit it!" she said, following close on his heel_

 _"Fine! I had a few drinks with some guys from work and she just so happened to be there. Nothing happened."_

 _"Oh yeah? Then what is that on your neck?" she pointed out, the evidence of his dishonesty clear as day before her eyes._

 _He turned, his dark eyes almost black with rage "I'm telling you this for your own good, leave it the fuck alone Syd." He said lowly_

 _They had reached the top of the stairs and she grabbed ahold of his shirt, turning him around to face her "Did you sleep with her?" she demanded, looking him dead in the eye_

 _The Lone Wolf crossed his arms across his massive tattooed chest "You want to know so damn bad? Fine. Yes. I spent the night fucking Alexa's brains out and loved every second of it." He seethed, a nasty smile on his face_

 _She shoved him with all her might. His 6'8 frame barely moved_

 _"Don't fucking touch me like that again." He threatened "It's not my fault you can't handle the truth. If you hadn't been acting like a fidget bitch, I wouldn't of had to sleep with her. There. That's what you wanted right? Honesty? Are you fucking satisfied now?"_

 _Her hand connected with a slap that seemed to radiate through her whole body. His head snapped to the side from the impact and for a moment, yes, she felt satisfaction. All the lying. All the heartache of knowing that little bitch was trying to sleep with him and him trying to make her believe that he wanted nothing to do with Alexa made her boil with anger. She knew better. A woman's intuition spoke volumes._

 _"I fucking hate you." she hissed, refusing to let him see her hurt_

 _Everything happened so fast that she barely remembered_

 _His hands shot out with the lightning speed. She hardly had time to register her thoughts, nothing but a small yelp escaping her lips before she fell backwards, tumbling down the flight of stairs._

 _It seemed like she was falling forever, her head seemingly hitting what seemed like every step on the way down, not ceasing until she finally reached the bottom, her head cracking against the cold linoleum floor._

 _The world around her went black._


	2. Chapter 2

_So after all the positive feedback, here's the second chapter_

* * *

 _She was barely lucid as they rushed her out of the ambulance and through the hospital doors._

 _A bright light was shone in her eyes, nearly blinding her. She could her voices, though they were going in and out. It was like her ears were out of tune and everything sounded like it was underwater._

 _She remembered a sharp pain in her arm and then she was out cold_

 _When she finally came to, Baron's worried face was the first thing her blurry eyes saw_

 _"Syd." He said, softly caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, his own eyes red like he had been crying._

 _She stared at her surroundings "Wha... What happened?" she asked, her head pounding behind her eyelids. Her whole body throbbed_

 _"Syd... I'm so sorry... It happened so fast and I tried to catch you but... I'm sorry baby. You have to know how sorry I am."_

 _"What are you talking about?" She asked, her brow furrowing in confusion_

 _The doctor came in "Oh good, she's awake." he said, pulling up a chair beside the small cot "How are you feeling Sydney?" he asked soothingly_

 _"Like I got hit by a truck."_

 _The doctor pulled a small flashlight from his coat and shine it in her eyes, making her wince "Do you remember anything that happened tonight?" He asked, distinguishing the light and checking her clipboard_

 _It hit her all at once, making her brain scream in agony. They argued. She had shoved him. He had shoved her back..._

 _Baron was staring at her, pleading with his dark brown eyes._

 _She lowered her head, ashamed "No... I can't remember anything." she lied with a familiar sense of ease that came all too natural. How many times had she done this before?_

 _She could see the relief that washed over his face and he took her hand in his, but she felt anything but relieved by his touch._

 _"Well your fiancé said that you had been carting a large load of clothes down the stairs and lost your balance. Is that true?"_

 _The grip on her hand seemed to tighten the slightest bit and she glanced at the man she loved. He didn't have to say a word to know what needed to be said. His thumb stroked lightly over the massive engagement ring on her finger, a silent reminder._

 _"Yes... Yes, I must have missed a step on my way down. I knew I shouldn't have tried to make it down the stairs in one trip. I'm a bit clumsy."_

 _The doctor drummed his fingers against the clipboard on his lap, his eyes narrowed, but his featured smoothed over before anyone could catch the disbelief in her words. "I see."_

 _Baron raised her hand to his mouth, his lips brushing it lightly "I'm just glad you're okay baby."_

 _"I'm want to give my condolences to you both." the doctor said, watching her face closely_

 _"Condolences? What for?" Sydney asked_

 _"You weren't aware that you were six weeks pregnant?"_

 _Shock ran through her, shaking her to the core. She look over at Baron, who lowered his head, refusing to even look her in the eye "No..."_

 _"I'm so sorry. I was under the impression that you knew."_

 _She didn't know how to feel. Or what to think. Or even how to respond. Finding out that she had lost a life she didn't even know she was carrying made her feel numb, her heart empty._

 _She sat silently, her mind blank and oblivious to the doctor talking in front of her about counseling and her other injuries: a bruised rib, the swelling to her head, and the many bruises that were scattered over her body._

 _She didn't care about any of it. They had her so doped up, she couldn't feel a thing. Her mind was only focused on the loss she has suffered tonight at the hands of the man who swore to love her._

 _"Mr. Corbin, it's pretty late and Sydney needs to rest. Why don't you come back in the morning. If everything goes well, she should be released tomorrow."_

 _Baron started to object and she placed a hand on his arm to silence him "I'll be fine. I am really tired and you have training tomorrow. I don't want you cramped on the small couch in here."_

 _"I could care less about that. I need to be here with you."_

 _"You can't blow off training, not even for me. I won't let you. Go home. I'll be fine." she insisted_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Positive." She said, mustering a small smile._

 _He left twenty minutes later with the promise of picking her up as soon as his training was over, planting a lingering kiss on her forehead._

 _The doctor shut the door behind him, pulling up his chair bedside her bed "I'd like to speak with you now that you're fiancé isn't here if you're feeling up to it?"_

 _"About?"_

 _"When the EMTs arrived, they noted that there were no clothes anywhere to be seen, even though you had been carrying a basket down the stairs before your accident. Care to explain?"_

 _"Um... I..."_

 _"Sydney," he started gently "this conversation will not leave this room if that's any consolation. I'm here to help you and ensure your safety. Would you like to tell me your side of the story?"_

 _"There's... Nothing to tell." she said, fidgeting with the hospital bracelet around her wrist, her voice small._

 _"I think we both know that's not true. I took it upon myself to pull your file. You've been here quite often in the past four months." he flipped the papers on his clipboard "It says here that you were just here last month for multiple lesions to the neck and chest area. And again for stitches to the forehead a few weeks later. The list goes on and on."_

 _"Who gave you the right to view my file?" she demanded, her voice laced with a hint of defense_

 _"I view all of my patients' files upon arrival, it's protocol."_

 _"So what are you insinuating?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest, ignoring the ache that came with the gesture_

 _"Unless you tell me otherwise, not a thing."_

 _"Nothing is going on. I slipped and fell. That's all."_

 _"Sydney..." He said, removing his glasses from his tired face with a sigh "If there is someone hurting you, I want you to know that you can tell me."_

 _"Are you calling me a liar?" she fired back_

 _"I understand you are very traumatized, but Miss. Westbrook-"_

 _"Get out." she spat nastily at him. "You don't know me other than what you've seen in my file. How dare you accuse him of doing this. You don't know me, you don't know anything!"_

 _"Sydney, you lost your child because of that fall. Your child. This is not a matter to be brushed under the rug to protect whoever did this to you."_

 _"Baron would never hurt me. And the fact that you think you can bring my dead child into this is beyond disgusting on your part."_

 _"I never said that it was him who did this." he said, eyebrows raised_

 _"I want my discharge papers now. I'm going home." She informed, angrily yanking the IV out of her hand, ignoring the small jolt of pain, before swinging her legs off the bed_

 _He gently pushed her back against the mattress "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Like I said, your concussion is too sever to let you go home, you need to be monitored."_

 _"Fine. Leave. Now, before I file a harassment charge."_

 _The doctor stood "I hope one day you'll look back and see that I was only trying to help you before it's too late."_

 _And then she was left alone to drown in her thoughts and misery._

* * *

 _This chapter has been sitting for weeks, I'm really sorry about the wait. Are you guys still interested in this? It's gonna be a short story, so I give it two more chapters. Let me know if I should keep going!_


	3. Chapter 3

_By popular demand. I've been getting a lot of reviews, asking me to continue on with this story, so hear you are readers. Oh and the new chapter for "Learning is Half the Battle" is coming your way soon! Enjoy_

* * *

 _It was one hell of a night. She scarcely slept with the nurses in and out to wake her up and give her more pain medicine_

The next morning, Baron was there to pick her up, as promised.

He sat silently as he waited for her to shower and get dressed in the clothes that he brought from home.

She struggled, putting one foot and then the other into her jeans, pulling them onto her hips, the ache in her head worsening by the minute. The hot shower had been welcoming to her sore body, but now that the drugs they had been pumping into her had worn off, every movement hurt.

She avoided looking in the mirror for fear of seeing the ocean of black and blue, turning her back and reaching for her shirt. A small whimper escaped her as she raised her arms above her head to pull the sweatshirt on.

Strong hands replaced hers, aiding her in putting her arms through the sleeves

"Don't. I'm fine." She said, pulling herself away, her body protesting from the jerking movement, almost making her cry out in pain. She forced herself not to show how much she was really hurting, both body and spirit

"Let me help you, Syd." he insisted

"No, I'm fine." she objected

"No you're not, just let me help-"

"I said Im fine!" she snapped

He froze, raising his hands up in surrender

"Just... Get out."

He didn't say a word as he left the small bathroom.

She sighed heavily, forcing her stiff arms through the arms the rest of the way into her sweatshirt and sat on the toilet. After a night alone to think, she had decided that she didn't want him anywhere near her. Not after what he'd done.

But she had to at least get home where her things were to pack. That would be the hard part.

Shoving her feet into her Vans, she zipped up her bad and sling it over her shoulder. She couldn't hide from him forever

She found him waiting for her in the hall. She signed her papers and was finally free to leave.

The ride home was silent. She pretended not to notice when he glanced her way ever so often. When the car pulled in front of their small apartment, she got out and was at the front door before he could turn the car off

The air was thick with tension when the door shut behind them and Sydney was starting to think it was a bad idea for her to come back in the first place. Paranoia and a sense of entrapment was sitting heavily on her chest.

And then he spoke, finally breaking the silence

"Are we going to talk about this?"

"What is there to say?" she asked, her voice small as she slowly made her way up the stairs, hoping he did not follow

He did "A lot."

She tried to hurry her feet to put as much distance between them as possible, her mind flashing back to the previous night. She made it to the bedroom, dropping her bag on the floor "I'm tired... I just want to take my meds and sleep."

"They won't be ready for another thirty minutes, I have to go pick them up. Enough time to talk."

She eyes welled with tears and she turns her back to him, kicking off her shoes to distract herself "Can we just forget about it please?"

His footsteps approached and she flinched when he wrapped his arms around her "Baron-" she objected, her body tensing

"Baby, I'm sorry."

She didn't try to brush him off, for fear of angering him "I know." She sighed

"No you don't."

She could tell that he was emotional from the way his voice shook

"I didn't mean for it to happen Sydney, I swear. I was so angry, you know how I get when I'm angry."

Did she ever.

"Please. I'm sorry." He said, kissing the side of her neck

"We can't keep living like this." she said, letting the tears come to the surface "I can't live walking on eggshells around you, never knowing when your going to blow up at me."

"You know I didn't mean it, Syd."

"You never do." She said sharply "Last night... It was much more than you going to far... You... Our baby..." She was choking on the words, not wanting to speak them aloud.

He turned her, kneeling at her feet, his arms locked around her waist "If you want to leave me, I understand. Who would want to be with someone like me after what I did."

She stroked his brown hair, gazing into his sad brown eyes. They were so dark they almost looked black, haunted

"How are we suppose to make this work? I won't marry someone who puts their hands on me Baron."

"I know. I know." He said standing "I'll get help. Counseling. I'll do anything you want, just please don't leave me Sydney." he said standing.

She froze in his embrace, her body like stone as he kissed her.

It started off gentle, loving, pleading

And then got slightly forceful when she didn't return the gesture.

"Baron, stop." she said, gently pushing at his chest

"I don't know what I'd do if you left me. You have my heart. My soul. I'd blow my brains out before I'd let you leave me." He said, locking his arms tighter around her

She felt a sense of panic run though her "Don't say things like that." she told him

"It's true." he said, slipping a hand under her shirt "I refuse to live without you."

"Baron, _stop it-"_ she said sternly

He took ahold of her wrists, holding her against him "Say it. Say you won't leave."

"You're hurting me." her voice came out in a panic

"Say it! Tell me you won't leave me." He

boomed, shaking her violently.

She let out a small cry of pain, her arms and shoulders aching. This could end one of two ways: She could tell him she couldn't stay, give the ring back and hope that nothing like the night before transpired before she could make it out or she could stay, putting herself in danger again. Tears blurred her vision. She shouldn't have came back home. Her things could have waited. She could have stayed at a hotel, caught a bus to Tallahassee, stayed with her mother. Returning to this house of lies was a bad idea. Now she was trapped.

She had no choice but to give in, tell him what he wanted to hear "I won't. I would never leave you. I love you."

His grasp slackened, her words pacifying him.

"I love you too. I look you so much Sydney." He leaned down and touched his lips to hers and for the sake of her safety, she let him pick her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and let him lead her to the bed they shared.

He was passionate. She let her mind go completely blank as he labored above her. Shame and disgust washed over her as she let him bring her over the edge of bliss, feeling powerless and pitiful.

When it was done, he rolled off of her, and she pulled the sheets up to cover herself.

"I forgot about your medicine."

She watched in silence as he got dressed.

"We can try again." He said, now fully dressed

"Try what?" she asked in a small voice

"To have another baby." he said, kissing her forehead "I told you when I put that ring on your finger that you'd be mine forever. When they finally call me up, I'm going to buy you a big house and we're going to fill it with babies, but a head start wouldn't hurt."

She was glad that he couldn't see the mortified look on her face as he left out the door.

* * *

 _Poor Sydney. So this isn't going to be a long story. I say two more chapters. Thanks for reading and for the reviews!_


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